England 44 Samoa 22: In the immediate aftermath of a Test match the ramifications of a performance are occasionally superseded by the result. In that respect England's delight at the final whistle at the Stade Beaujoire in Nantes was justified and understandable.
Paul Sackey's try, his second of the match, in the 10th minute of stoppage time guaranteed the English a bonus point and put a gloss on a display that for a large tranche of this encounter offered a more matt sheen. After 73 minutes - using the old money version of timekeeping - there were just four points between the teams, England leading 26-22.
Samoa, though, were out on their feet and the prospect of over-turning that small deficit was diminishing. It was compromised by the introduction of a raft of replacements, recognition of a team whose conditioning wouldn't allow them the strong finish they craved.
The Samoans would have reflected on a number of missed opportunities from the time their excellent scrumhalf, Junior Polu, won a race against Matthew Tait for a dubious try on 45 minutes right up to that point in the contest.
A turning point in the contest was the 65th minute when Samoa had a scrum five metres from the English line. They huffed and puffed close in but were met with stout resistance, and it was difficult to escape the feeling that, had they entrusted their backs with the responsibility, the end product might have been more lucrative.
For much of this match the Samoan backs ran sumptuous lines and, coupled with the support play and handling of their pack, often shredded England's first line of defence. Invariably though, it came down to one misplaced pass, one poor decision and occasionally fine scrambling defence by England to deny them.
Then there was the lineout, which basically degenerated into a shambles from a Samoan perspective. They lost so many of their throws-in it became a lucrative turnover facility for their opponents, regularly an escape clause to sustained pressure, in terms of possession and territory.
That Samoa didn't avail of any chances during that period, coupled with tired limbs and minds, rendered them vulnerable to an England team that deserved credit for finishing the match strongly: they tagged on 18 points during that period.
So England coach Brian Ashton's press conference was always going to be a more mellow affair, the five points tucked safely in his back pocket.
"There was a hell of a lot more positives than last week," he admitted. "We got four tries and a bonus point, which is very pleasing given the position we were in at the start of the game. We've worked a lot this week on getting more width. We did that in the first half and the last 10 of the second.
"But for a while there it looked like they'd put an extra 10 metres on the edge of the pitch and we couldn't get it off (when kicking for touch)."
They enjoyed a whirlwind start thanks to opportunism and the left foot of outhalf Jonny Wilkinson.
It's not just his points scoring - his tally on Saturday was 24, making him only the second player to pass the 200-point mark in World Cup history - but rather the composure, presence and direction he brings. It was far from a faultless display on his part, but one sensed that without him England might not have been as mentally strong when Samoa started whittling away on the scoreboard.
"That direction we needed - to come out against a very good side and get a win - it happened somewhere along the line and that's what we're pleased about," he said. "It was looking like a very tough (second) half but we managed to turn it around. We managed to find a path to a win when things were looking difficult."
Aspects of England's performance were very good, notably the set-piece play up front and the general work-rate of the pack. Andy Gomarsall intervened presciently at times in defence, while Wilkinson kicked four penalties, three conversions and two drop goals.
Once again England's inside back play was laboured, the midfield partnership of Olly Barkley and Matthew Tait failing to gel. It was the wide men - Mark Cueto, strong, quick and direct, and Sackey, who grabbed a brace of tries - who provided the cutting edge. Sackey's second in particular, from a clever inside pass by Wilkinson, was a classic winger's effort, standing up his man before squeezing in at the corner.
Captain Martin Corry chipped in with a brace of tries of the right-place, right-time variety.
Samoa's other points came from the boot of their impressive fullback Loki Crichton.
England play Tonga in their final outing, a winner-takes-all clash for the runners-up spot in the pool. Judging by the performance of the Tongans on Saturday, it's nothing like the foregone conclusion many would have taken it for before the tournament.
The English though will enjoy this victory as Ashton bids to repeat the dose and guarantee a tilt at their old foes Australia in a quarter-final.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 2 mins: Corry try, Wilkinson con, 7-0; 5: Wilkinson drop goal, 10-0; 7: Crichton pen, 10-3; 12: Crichton pen, 10-6; 14: Wilkinson pen, 13-6; 20: Wilkinson pen, 16-6; 33: Sackey try, Wilkinson con, 23-6; 38: Crichton pen, 23-9; 40(+1): Crichton pen, 23-12. Half-time: 23-12. 42: Crichton pen, 23-15; 43: Wilkinson pen, 26-15; 45: Polu try, Crichton con, 26-22; 74: Wilkinson drop goal, 29-22; 76: Wilkinson pen, 32-22; 83: Corry try, Wilkinson con, 39-22; 90: Sackey try, 44-22.
ENGLAND: J Lewsey; P Sackey, M Tait, O Barkley, M Cueto; J Wilkinson, A Gomarsall; A Sheridan, G Chuter, M Stevens; B Kay, S Shaw, M Corry (capt), J Worsley, N Easter. Replacements: P Freshwater for Sheridan, S Borthwick for Shaw (both 69 mins); L Moody for Worsley (75 mins); D Hipkiss for Tait (77 mins).
SAMOA: L Crichton; D Lemi, S Mapasua, B Lima, A Tuilagi; E Fuimaono-Sapolu, J Polu; K Lealamania, M Schwalger, C Johnson; J Tekori, K Thompson; D Leo, S Sititi (capt), H Tuilagi. Replacements: F Pala'amo for Lealamania (65 mins); S So'oialo for Polu (70 mins); A Vaeluaga for H Tuilagi, J Meafou for Mapusua (both 75 mins); L Lui for Lima (77 mins); J Purdie for Tekori, Lealamanua for Johnson (both 78 mins).
Referee: A Lewis (Ireland).
